A Keele intern has helped a Stoke-on-Trent organisation construct a database that documents contact information for those concerned about ‘at risk’ family members during the recent pandemic.

Voluntary organisation Connecting Tracks, who are based in Hanley, provide training in community organising. Community organising brings people together to take action around their common concerns. During COVID-19, the company pivoted their efforts and resources in order to support those most at risk of the disease - and turned to Keele Internships for assistance in doing so.

Keele Business School graduate Bianca Santiago joined Connecting Tracks as an intern, creating a database that contained contact information for 400 councils across the United Kingdom. This gave those in Stoke-on-Trent the ability to contact their elderly relatives who live far away if they were not able to reach them on their personal phone.

John Huff, Connecting Tracks founder, has praised Bianca’s work:

“This was no straightforward task as the required information was in different places on each council website. Bianca has brought skills such as a willingness to learn, commitment and a prior knowledge of databases to support the organisation during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been a pleasure to work alongside her while in lockdown and she has since continued to volunteer.”.

Bianca commented:

“Being able to work on a COVID-19 project as a student of Keele University has allowed me to contribute in a small way to supporting the community during this difficult time.It has been a valuable experience, working within a professional setting and to real-life deadlines.”

Terry Dray, Director for Employability and Employer Engagement at Keele University said:

“Bianca’s work was funded by Santander Universities UK, and we are so proud of the diligent work she is doing to make life that much better for those whose relatives live a considerable distance away.”

To find out more about our internship schemes, including Santander Universities UK programme and our fully-funded charity internships, please visit keele.ac.uk/internships.

For more information about internships and other support opportunities available to businesses, please visit www.keele.ac.uk/business.